A day by the water
Where the afternoon
settles in.
Someone wants shade. Someone is looking for a dry towel. Lunch has become a second lunch, and the person who went inside for ice has missed half the conversation. A pool house starts with these small journeys.
It might be a place to change and rinse off. It might hold the table where everyone stays after swimming. Deciding which life it needs to support is more useful than beginning with a list of appliances.
Close to the house, a different pace
Follow the wet feet.
Draw the route from the pool to the bathroom, the changing space and the towel storage. Then draw the route taken by someone carrying food. If those journeys cross a room intended to stay dry, the plan is asking its finishes and its occupants to solve a problem that belongs in the layout.
An outdoor shower needs a considered location, drainage and privacy. A covered terrace needs enough shelter to remain useful when the weather turns. Doors, thresholds and paving have to be coordinated as part of the construction, including drainage, accessibility and the applicable requirements.
In Home 2.0, Scott Hobbs describes the importance of outdoor living in a second-home setting, including porches, landscaping, pools and grill areas. The useful design question is how those places work together on this property.1
Build the brief around the day
A place to land
Give bags, shoes and clean towels a destination. Separate wet things from dry storage. Think about the end of the day as carefully as the arrival.
A place to stay
Test a shaded chair, a meal and an evening with friends. The furniture plan should establish the room required before the building footprint is fixed.
A place to close
Decide what is stored, drained, protected or maintained when the season ends. Make the equipment and shutoffs accessible to the people looking after them.
A roof can do
a great deal.
A pool house does not have to reproduce the main kitchen and living room. A sheltered table, a bathroom and good storage may answer the brief. Another household may use a more enclosed room through the shoulder seasons. Establish which version you will actually use.
Discuss cooking early. An outdoor grill, a beverage station and a full kitchen have different implications for services, ventilation, equipment clearances and the building’s approved use. Likewise, a room with a sofa should not quietly become proposed overnight accommodation without checking the permissions.
The materials can relate to the main house without copying every detail. Judge a floor sample in the conditions it will face, including wet use, cleaning and exposure. Ask how the proposed finish should be maintained and where replacement would be difficult.
The part to resolve early
Keep the practical
work out of the way.
Pool equipment needs access for servicing and replacement. Consider noise where people will sit and where neighboring bedrooms may be. A discreet location is only successful if it also works for maintenance.
Chemical storage deserves its own plan. CDC guidance calls for secure storage, protection from moisture and separation of incompatible chemicals. Its toolkit addresses aquatic facilities; use the safety principles with the product instructions and the requirements applicable to the home. A general household cupboard is not a storage specification.2
Pool barriers, doors and gates also belong in the early site plan. CPSC’s residential guidance describes barriers as a layer of protection and makes clear that they never replace adult supervision. Confirm the local requirements with the design team and authority, including how the pool house affects access to the water.3
Look back toward
the main house.
At Montauk Cliff House, the photograph shows the pool, dining area and pavilion occupying different levels of a single composition. The relationship is as important as the individual building. It is a useful reason to review a pool house in the context of the whole site.
Consider what the pavilion looks like from the main living room, where light will fall in the evening and how the paths read after dark. Discuss glare, neighbors and the level of illumination needed for the actual routes.
Before approving the plan, walk through an ordinary afternoon aloud. Include the trips for drinks, a change of clothes and a place to sit out of the sun. A good pool house earns its place through those routines. The architecture makes them a pleasure.
Builders, since 1954.
More About Hobbs
Hobbs, Inc. has been building and renovating homes since 1954. The Journal draws on that work and on conversations with architects and craftspeople about the decisions behind a finished home.
Discover HobbsSources and conversation
For a closer look
- Hobbs Conversations: Renovating in the Hamptons
Scott Hobbs on outdoor living in a second home, beginning at 2:56.
- CDC: Pool Chemical Safety
Storage and handling principles. The toolkit addresses aquatic facilities; project requirements and product instructions remain specific.
- U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission: Residential Pool Barriers
Nonmandatory national safety guidance. Local requirements apply; barriers do not replace supervision.
A few practical questions
Does a pool house need a full kitchen?
It needs one only if the way you intend to use it justifies that scope and it is permitted. Start with the meals and gatherings it should support, then establish the equipment and services.
Can a pool house double as guest accommodation?
Check the approved use and local requirements before including sleeping accommodation. A pool house and a dwelling are not automatically interchangeable.
When should pool safety be considered?
Pool safety should be considered during site planning, before paths, doors and outdoor rooms are fixed. Coordinate barriers and access with the applicable requirements and retain active adult supervision.
Continue reading
More from the Journal
The JournalWhat a Home Addition Costs, and What Drives It
Read the story →
The JournalBuy the Design First
Read the story →
The JournalHow 125 Employees Become 2,000 People on a Jobsite
Read the story →
The JournalRenovating a New York Apartment or Co-op to a Custom Standard
Read the story →
The JournalBuilding on the Water: Rain That Comes In Sideways
Read the story →
The JournalDesigning a Hamptons House for Light, Landscape, and Privacy
Read the story →
The JournalA Gut Renovation in New York, Done to a Custom Standard
Read the story →
The JournalWhat a Staircase Actually Costs, and Why
Read the story →
The JournalThe Things You Only Notice If You Live There
Read the story →
The JournalThe Real Reason Custom Homes Cost More
Read the story →
The JournalRenovate or Tear Down: The Question Every Hamptons Owner Asks
Read the story →
The JournalA Kitchen Renovation, Built Like the Rest of the House
Read the story →
The JournalZones, Radiant, and Air: A Custom Home’s Mechanical Systems
Read the story →The JournalAdding Out: The Home Addition
Read the story →
The JournalNYC Townhouse and Brownstone Renovation
Read the story →
The JournalSpeculative vs. Fully Custom Windows
Read the story →
The JournalCoordinating Before Construction
Read the story →
The JournalWhat a Custom Home Costs, and Where the Money Goes
Read the story →The Hobbs Journal
New stories, by email.
Writing on architecture, materials and the work of building a home. Subscribe for new Journal articles and conversations from Hobbs.